Electronics For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 10

Tremendously Talented Transistors

IN THIS CHAPTER

Revolutionizing electronics with the tiny transistor

Understanding transistor action

Using transistors as teeny-tiny switches

Giving signals a boost with transistors

Imagine the world without the amazing electronics building block known as the transistor. Your cellphone would be the size of a washing machine, your laptop wouldn’t fit on your lap (or in a single room), your iPod would be just another pie-in-the-sky idea — and your Apple stock would be worthless.

Transistors are the heart of nearly every electronic device in the world, quietly working away without taking up much space, generating a lot of heat, or breaking down every so often. Generally regarded as the most important technological innovation of the 20th century, transistors were developed as an alternative to the vacuum tube, which drove the development of electronic systems ranging from radio broadcasting to computers but exhibited some undesirable characteristics. The solid-state transistor enabled the miniaturization of electronics, leading to the development ...